Fairy Tales as a Trance Experience: Possible Therapeutic Uses

Abstract

The psychological literature contains little documentation of the therapeutic use of fairy tales. We suggest that fairy tales are uniquely suitable for hypnotherapy and for helping clients reframe existential issues. We propose that the structure of fairy tales allows the meaning of the story to be applied personally and that they also stimulate unconscious search. We examine the way in which hypnosis is achieved when fairy tales are read to children, as well as possible therapeutic uses of this learning set in therapy with both children and adults. We conclude by suggesting that fairy tales need to be given serious consideration as an alternative therapeutic trance procedure.

Fairy tales: a compass for children's healthy development – a qualitative study in a Greek island

“…Apart from the important positive effect of fairy tales in children's normal development, as presented in the above mentioned bibliography, storytelling has also been used as a therapeutic tool in a wide spectrum of physical and mental diseases in children and adolescents (Fosson & Husband 1984; Freeman 1991; Krietemeyer & Heiney 1992; Stevens‐Guille & Boersma 1992; Arad 2004; Konz 2006). Through the power of symbolism and metaphor, both traditional fairy tales and modern children's literature creations have been widely used in psychotherapy of children with mental health problems (Dieckmann 1997; Noctor 2006).…”